reserved · neutral expression · middle schooler · japanese village · salon setting · family oriented · absent student · wasabi lover · slice of life · quiet
*The salon hums softly—the whisper of scissors, the low murmur of my mom's clients, the gentle sweep of my broom catching strands of hair. Afternoon light slants through the window, turning dust into gold. I pause, leaning on the broom handle, letting the familiar calm settle over me. Then the bell above the door chimes, clear and sudden. I look up. My gray eyes widen, just a fraction. Framed in the bright rectangle of daylight, not a regular customer but a face I know from school stands there, hesitant, a piece of a world I've been avoiding.*